Tauck Veterans- Rate Your Trips 😃
Please rate your trips from best on down. It's always an interesting and lively discussion for all! Thank you!
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Please rate your trips from best on down. It's always an interesting and lively discussion for all! Thank you!
Comments
The best one is the next one I'm taking.
I like that answer, Mike! 😊 TY
Impossibly to answer
From favorite to worst:
1 Israel/Jordan
2 Vienna/Prague/Warsaw/Budapest (or something like that) (because of superb TD)
3-13 the rest of them, except for the two below, all great for different reasons
14 Scandinavia (because it's overpriced for what you get, and poor travel logistics, but I liked what we saw and did)
15 Portrait of India (other than fabulous hotels, the most disgusting place on the planet I've ever visited)
I agree with British. I have enjoyed aspects of all of them but for different reasons.
Favorite: Grand Australia & New Zealand
Tied for #2: Israel and Jordan/Adriatic Treasures
Next: Berlin, the Danube, and Krakow (no longer offered)
My least favorite (out of 20) was Hawaii. I should have known better, because I prefer cities over nature -- though I admit the hotels were gorgeous -- but I took it as the world was opening up in 2022, and booked it only because I was afraid that the Adriatic Treasures tour (scheduled for the following month) would not happen, and I was desperate to get away.
All of our eighteen Tauck trips were wonderful. The most wonderful was K&T in Africa, closely matched with Antarctica. The least wonderful in our view of course was Iceland.
It's hard to point to a "best" tour or even to put some of the better ones in some order. Given that, the following were the most enjoyable:
Iceland - https://www.mikeandjudytravel.com/2016Iceland-01.htm
Enjoyed the many geological features of the island, e.g., hot spots, waterfalls. The people were very nice. Things are expensive there because a lot of things have to be brought in.
Israel and Jordan - https://www.mikeandjudytravel.com/2017Israel-01.htm
I had been to Israel on business before and had been enchanted by Jerusalem but had not seen the rest of the country. In Jordan, Petra was very interesting.
Adriatic Treasures - https://www.mikeandjudytravel.com/2019-2Adriatic-01.htm
Much better than I expected. I expected the country would show effects of the war but it was very modern and in great shape. Really enjoyed the Postojna caves.
Hawaii - https://www.mikeandjudytravel.com/2020-1Hawaii-01.htm
Had also traveled there on business but had only seen a small part of the islands. Judy had never been there.
Galapagos and Peru - https://www.mikeandjudytravel.com/2021-1Galapagos-01.htm
Had been to Machu Picchu before but it was nice to see it again. Galapagos was very interesting.
Morocco - https://www.mikeandjudytravel.com/2022-1Morocco-01.htm
Signed up for this tour because of the movie "Casablanca". Had been to Egypt but Morocco is very different and I found it interesting.
Switzerland - https://www.mikeandjudytravel.com/2023-2Switzerland-01.htm
Lots of things to see in Switzerland. Should have extended the trip to see more.
Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand - https://www.mikeandjudytravel.com/2024-1Vietnam-01.htm
Return trip for me. It was good the see how Vietnam has developed since the war.
India - https://www.mikeandjudytravel.com/2024-3India-01.htm
A country with extreme differences in wealth, similar to Egypt. But we enjoyed seeing Delhi, the cremation rituals in Varanasi, and especially the Taj Mahal.
The following were less enjoyable (in no particular order):
England, Scotland, and Wales -https://www.mikeandjudytravel.com/2018EnglandScotlandWales-01.htm
I'm just not a monarchist. The idea of a country divided into privileged royalty and commoners (both by birth) is offensive to me. I find the idea that the people of the country are “subjects” instead of “citizens” similarly offensive.
Ireland - https://www.mikeandjudytravel.com/2018Ireland-01.htm
Not much to see in Ireland. Lots of pasture and sheep but not much else. We also had a terrible TD.
Sicily, the Amalfi Coast and Rome -https://www.mikeandjudytravel.com/2018Sicily-01.htm
The best part of the trip was Malta. The Amalfi Coast was just packed with tourist and tourist shops. A visit to Pompeii would have been more interesting. I didn't find Sicily to be that interesting. Plus we had two TDs who were not very good.
Australia and New Zealand - https://www.mikeandjudytravel.com/2019-1Australia-NewZealand-01.htm
Not a bad trip, could have been on the other list.
Treasures of the Aegean - https://www.mikeandjudytravel.com/2024-2Athens-01.htm
Best part was the dinner at Ephesus. Miserable ship (WindStar).
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
We have traveled with other tour and cruise companies. If I was to list our favorite tours/cruises (not just Tauck tours), the list would include some of those other tours/cruises. Here are some comments on other tours:
Cruise around South America- http://mikeandjudytravel.com/2017SouthAmerica-01.htm
First visit to Macchu Picchu and saw the Nazca lines. Also visited Iguazu Falls. This was our first Regent Seven Seas trip. We've done a number of trips with them since.
Trip to Italy- https://www.mikeandjudytravel.com/2015Italy-01.htm
On our own. First visit to Venice
Cuba - https://www.mikeandjudytravel.com/2016Cuba-01.htm
A very itneresting trip. The trip was much more extensive than Tauck's tour of Cuba. I would recommend a trip to Cuba to everyone.
Cruise along the coast of Europe - https://www.mikeandjudytravel.com/2017FranceSpainPortugal-01.htm
This was a very good cruise on a small ship. It was a budget cruise line, but what we saw and did was very interesting. We took some additonal time to see more of Spain. One of our best trips.
Southern Africa - https://www.mikeandjudytravel.com/2023-1RiversAndRails-01.htm
A really good trip. We saw a lot of the area and animals.
Egypt - https://www.mikeandjudytravel.com/2018EgyptAndTheNile-01.htm
I always wanted to see the Pyramids. Extreme differences in wealth (lots of poverty), similar in that way to India.
Antarctica - https://www.mikeandjudytravel.com/2021-2Antarctica-01.htm
Judy always wanted to see Antarctica and she really enjoyed it, peraps more than me. It was a very different experience.
I traveled to Japan on my own and on business. My wife and I hosted a Japanese girl for three years while she was in college in the US. Visited another young Japanese friend and stayed with his parents for a week. I studied a lot of Japanese history and enjoy their culture. Also viewed all of Akira Kurosawa's movies (try to see his "Seven Samurai"), as well as some movies by other Japanese directors. If you get a chance, read about Miyamoto Musashi - https://www.amazon.com/Musashi-Epic-Novel-Samurai-Era-ebook/dp/B00CD428BU/ The link is to a novel about him, but fairly close to reality. Unfortunately, I never learned much Japanese.
We had more trips on our own or with other companies but I'll stop here. If you want to see the list of all of our travels, go to https://www.mikeandjudytravel.com/
Perhaps Mike’s post proves a point. There is something for everyone but not everything for everyone. I’ve been to all of the places on his list but there are several on his favorites list that I would never pay my own money to visit … and a couple I have paid my own money to visit that I would have changed. You need to do your own research to find the places that are of interest to you. What someone else liked does not mean you will like it also.
Impossible to answer. Of our 15 Tauck tours, our favorite is generally the one we are on. All have been fabulous.
We enjoyed all of the tours. I gave each a 1-5 to simply rank them in a general sense.
I enjoy reading the comments from you Veteran travelers. I agree with Sealord. It is different strokes for different folks. I read, and enjoyed reading Mike’s blog on his Switzerland tour. It is the only one of his list we had been on. Our trip was in 2019 and there were some differences in the itinerary. Another difference was that our weather was beautiful from start to finish. Although, to the point again about differences of opinions (and I love that we are different), Mike’s favorite hotel (St Moritz) was our least favorite. My final comment is that I love Tauck and look forward to future travels and to reading you guys comment on the Forum.
I don’t play this game! You want a revealing survey- have two side-by-side lists, a his and hers 😂 😲 😁
As previously mentioned, I can’t pick a favorite tour but I can pick a favorite region for having all the characteristics I value—history, culture, the arts and cuisine. For me, that region is the Iberian Peninsula.
For its unspoiled beauty, I choose Canada.
I'm with British, impossible to answer.
I added some comments to my selections in the post above.
MikeHenerson no Africa trip for you?
Not with Tauck, but with AMA Waterways. It was an excellent trip. https://www.mikeandjudytravel.com/2023-1RiversAndRails-01.htm
It's listed above.
Oops, missed it on you list
That's like asking "who is your favorite child". It's impossible to answer.
My all time favorite is A Week in the Amalfi Coast .... Amalfi, Capri and Rome. Best tour director (Maria), best group (that's luck of the draw but we were indeed fortunate), best food, best hotels (L'Agavi in Positano is unbelievable [views and breakfast]!!!!), and Amalfi Coast is arguably the most beautiful place on the planet.
I can name the worst: New England and probably Best of Hawaii. The best were Peru and Galapagos w/Marcos Soto, Best of Italy with Gail Hazen and Adriatic with Birgit Ensslin. I think tour directors play a big role in overall tour experience success imo.
Always fun to re-think all the trips and then decide what tops the memories. We enjoyed Spirit of the Desert within the USA and Grand Australia/New Zealand. Loved them both for different reasons but would do them both over again if I had the chance!
Here is my list. Very hard to pick favorites because they were all wonderful. I have been on 11 (with JohnS).
1 2024 June/July BudaPest to the Black Sea River Cruise
2 2017 Feb/Mar Northern India/ Nepal
3 2015 June Imperial Europe(:Warsaw, Krakow, Budapest,Vienna,Prague)
4 2018 May France River Cruise
5 2021 November South Africa an Elegant Adventure
6 2022 May Classic Italy small groups
7 2022 October Rhine Enchantment, Amsterdam to Milan
8 2023 May Legendary Scottish Isles, Edinburgh & Glasgow
9 2018 Sept/Oct Alps & Dolamites
10 2019 July Canadian Rockies/Glacier Nat Park
11 2022 August Best of Ireland (interrupted due to JohnS-COVID)
Japan (the land tour) and Israel are right at the top, with K&T and Australia New Zealand too. So hard to pick just one!
Our favorite river cruise was our first Tauck tour. It was a Rhone cruise called French Waterways but is now called Savoring France. Part of the reason it's the favorite is because it was our first experience with this sort of travel and because so many of the stops were amazing cities right on the river so minimal coach time. Our favorite land tour was Normand/Brittany/Loire Valley but the reasons may have more to do with it being in 2021 with a group of 9 guests so thrilled just to be traveling after a year of lockdowns and fears it would be canceled. We all got along, had a great TD and amazing weather.
I say this mostly as a caution to people who want to use these lists to plan their next tour. One person's favorite might be your least. A lot of factors go into how successful a tour is. One reason why the first question Tauck asks on their comment cards is how was the weather.
A perfect example of one of Claudia's points is illustrated by:
SueMS saying Budapest to the Black Sea River Cruise was her favorite, whereas for me I placed it in my category 5 (least favorite).
That's because it was your wife's choice.
Happy Wife, Happy Life!!! 😁
@Smiling Sam - why was that Budapest to the Black Sea River Cruise not your favorite? I've been looking at that one.